Zen Crib Notes

 Acclimating in Japan has been going okay so far. I think I`ve gotten past the point of being accustomed to a new environment where i cannot read labels in supermarkets or on public signs (which confuses me, because that is kinda everywhere in Guangzhou and here was Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wanting to `internationalize` Japan which apparently doesn`t start with public assistance). 

I also think I`m getting better at getting kids to do stuff and planning out a class, even though it still feels like I am working by the seat of my pants. Teachers at my schools complimented me on my progress, and the corporation coordinators check up on me from time to time and give me consistently good reviews, so I think I`m doing all right. I also like to work out some katakana and hiragana on the board so that the kids can sound out certain words or understand some concepts, like for `I can` or `I can`t`, since otherwise they would just not quite get it. 

My previous entry talked about this one guy I tutored, but he turned out to just want to recruit me for his start-up projects, which includes an English language learning service app that initially sounded good until he divulged more details into it. Basically, he wanted me to generate content, like monologue scripts or summaries. When he showed me samples of some people who`ve done it and he wanted me to proofread, I had to tell him that the quality is not great and that just getting me to check grammar isn`t enough to improve it. Then he went on and on about how maybe it`s just `my style` or that I should consider the fact that other people worked hard on it and that they had their own styles, and that English itself isn`t a clear-cut language and everyone has their own understanding of what constitutes correct English...

...And I told him was like: `this story you showed me is basically basically implying that America is dangerous by showing random gunshots outside of a dorm, a vague description of what went down that ultimately led to nowhere, and then saying Japan is safer and he should be more appreciative. This is skirting on some improperly handled problematic content.` 

But go figure, mansplaining has no international borders after being told what English is by a native Japanese guy. Whose background itself isn`t even education, so I don`t have a lot of confidence on this start-up that is one year late and is employed by random people from different parts of the English speaking world contributing hackneyed content via the internet. 

Summer vacation starts July 21st for me, and I will be heading out to Armenia for one week to visit my best friend from college. She`s doing Birthright Armenia by working as a journalist, and she`s also trying wrangle me into going to grad school in France with her. I tend to think that her postgraduate experience is a little more fulfilling than mine since she`s working and gaining experience doing the thing she always wanted to do, has obtained a French-Armenian boyfriend with a 6 pack, and are both living together in a nice apartment in downtown Yerevan where a giant mug of beer is like $1 USD. 

Both excited and terrified that I will be going to Armenia in about two weeks. Mostly because I fear flying, and also because I will be making a layover in Qatar (taking Qatar Airways), and while I don`t think this Arab state will be hit tragically, I do still think that `what if` scenario alongside perishing tragically during an 11 hour flight.